Rising Graph

Young Berlin-based communication designer Khyati Trehan has already been pointed out as a talent to watch out for

What drew you to visual art?

KT: I studied in a school called Mirambika in New Delhi where we’d make bridges over ponds to learn about architecture, go to France to learn French, and do pottery and carpentry between math and science. Learning was free of structures and sounded more like ‘look what I discovered’ than lines marked with highlighters in a syllabus textbook. I found myself spending a lot of time in the art room and here we are!

National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, where I pursued a Bachelor’s in Design, echoed my time at Mirambika in the way that it relied on the Bauhaus methodology of learning through doing. NID has given me the ability to think strategically and design with empathy, and also bring those ideas to fruition. When I’ve conceived an idea, I also have the ability to carefully craft it. This is because NID lays a lot of emphasis on building a strong foundation and sharpening your senses.

What, in your opinion, defines good visual art today?

KT: Good visual art is a combination of solid technique, a good sense of esthetics and good ideas.

Describe your style.

KT: I think (and hope) that my work is independent of style and instead, driven by the brief. My personal work that lives outside of briefs is born from an idea that slowly takes shape. Since every idea is different, so is the illustration style it ends up belonging to.

What inspires you?